It's all about the Benjamins...

I chose two Social Media websites for my second exercise. One of which is a blogging site, and another which offers users the chance to make money off of social media. The Social Media website answers the question of how social media can drive revenue. Therefore, it unites professionals in the following areas: gaming, virtual goods, mobile, marketing and media. A two day conference is set up in which all of these professionals can meet and discuss the different ways in which social media plays a role in their area of experience. Ultimately, attendees leave the two day conference having learned how to utilize social media from all aspects in order to generate revenue in their particular specialty. Socialize, the website, also provides insight into how to maximize from the tool of social media. As explained in the section titled “Socialize is about results” MediaBistro states, “Social media is a whirlwind. It’s amazing at times and terrifying at others.It’s a tool that people and businesses can use to fill many needs, both on a personal and professional basis. Every day another innovative use or important application emerges that can change lives from the most minute detail up to influencing the events of the world.”

The social media blog, appropriately titled “Soshable” discusses all the current social media trends. As their tagline states, “People shoshalize. They don’t care how it’s spelled. They just do it.” The blog suggests ways to keep up with, utilize, and criticize social media. Overall, the blog gives background information while the website, Socialize, teaches how to use the background information. “Social media is a whirlwind. It’s amazing at times and terrifying at others. It’s a tool that people and businesses can use to fill many needs, both on a personal and professional basis. Every day another innovative use or important application emerges that can change lives from the most minute detail up to influencing the events of the world.”These two sites feature a larger pattern of society in which we find innovative new technologies and then explore ways in which to benefit monetarily off of these new technologies. We investigate these new media technologies, and become skilled professionals on their use, and once we make the technology absolutely imperative to society, we make a profit off of them. Soshable is the cause, in the sense that social media has become a popular entity in our community, and Socialize is the effect; meaning that because social media has become so prominent, we must now find a way to benefit from its wide usage.

Transparent Advertising?

Recently Yahoo! has introduced its trial of a new transparent advertising that they hope will not only benefit the industry, but the consumer as well. This new launch, which is being tested in Europe, now gives consumers the choice of which advertisements they want to see as well as why the consumer was specifically targeted.

By clicking on an interactive button included on the sidebar advertisements, users can view who is behind the advertisement as well as why it was chosen for them. It also explains what personal data is being shown to industries and why they chose that data.

Justin Weiss, the privacy director at Yahoo says, "The idea of a visual symbol in and around every ad we show is to remind users that their information is being used and to give them a portal, a pathway, into what data is being used and the controls they have over them.”

Daylight Savings Time affects Advertising?

That doesn't seem very likely, however, even a slight difference such as an hour can determine whether a campaign is a hit or a dud.

Now that Spring and Summer are upon us, the days are longer and the weather is warmer, this gives the advertising industry an entire new direction in which to explore. Instead of focusing on the in home outlets for advertising, such as television and internet, advertisers will begin advertising outside the house setting. This means more billboard and radio advertisements, which accompany people outside of the traditional winter setting.

Even more surprising, the tactics advertisers use change with DST, Blanca explains that people tend to feel differently during the Spring and Summer than they do in winter months; meaning that advertisers are able to produce new trends to market to new consumers.

Furthermore, the daylight change that occurs during DST provides consumers with more time for activities outside the home, such as retailing, sports and other recreations that exploit the extended sunlight. This means that the outdoor advertisements will reach consumers more efficiently.

Slight things such as weather change can alter a persons entire outlook and opinion, and therefore, advertisers are working to adapt new trends to these new consumer outlooks.

I believe that outdoor advertising will greatly improve not only the industry, but it will also encourage people to be outdoors and participate in recreational activities. Thus, this change in time will not only effect the industry, but will hopefully coax people to participate in their communities and be active.

What do you think?

SKINNY Pepsi?

First there was Pepsi, then Diet Pepsi, Pepsi Max, and Pepsi Zero; so whats next? Skinny Pepsi.

After the launch of Pepsi Max, Diet Pepsi became practically extinct. Although it's had affiliation with the Pepsi Refresh Project,

it has not received desired attention from Pepsi brand consumers. Since reviewing this problem within the company,

marketers have began to discuss their product with consumers, and have come up with the newest solution: Skinny Pepsi.

"We are going to actually start talking to our consumer again. ... We have our loyal followers that are a specific psychographic, and we want to make sure we talk to them on a one-to-one level."

The new campaign will feature a slimmer, sleeker bottle which has developed its own marketing program around it. While ads promote the drink as "getting the skinny" or market it as being more fashion forward and culturally innovative, many have taken offense to the new product. The National Eating Disorder Association especially took negatively to the new launch, stating that its offensive. However, producers at Pepsi are not worried, they expected the backlash and are hopeful that consumers will respond positively with the new launch.

While I think that the whole idea of "skinny" soda beverages is wildly redundant, I think that this is a good marketing strategy for Pepsi. This generation flocks towards anything that will give off the impression of fashion saavy, innovative, or cutting edge. Although I will never be one to drink Skinny Pepsi....I am a Sprite fan all the way.